about us

The MAPLE Lab is the world’s first music cognition lab with a percussion focus. Drawing upon the diverse skills of our team, we conduct federally funded research in a state-of-the-art facility, presenting our findings at conferences. Read more

news & events

We are frequently involved in conferences and the media. Find out about upcoming and past presentations, recent papers published, and various on-goings with the lab. Or learn more about the different MAPLE appearances in public media outlets. Read more.

research

By exploring questions at the intersection of music and cognitive science, we are able to make new discoveries of broad relevance. Much of our research employs customized testing software, facilitating novel explorations of issues of strong interest. Read more

publications

Learn more about our research by viewing video demonstrations, reading about our conference presentations, and downloading our peer-reviewed publications. Instructors – find demonstrations supplementing discussion of our work in textbooks such as Psychology of Music and Cognitive Psychology. Read more

funding

MAPLE Lab research has attracted over $1,000,000 in research funding from a combination three major tri-council grants, international funding for clinical applications of our basic research, competitive internal awards, and a significant private donation. This funding permits innovative training in a well-equipped environment devoted to research and discovery. Read more

opportunities

Interested in acquiring valuable research skills while learning about Music, Acoustics, Perception and LEarning? Want to contribute to our knowledge of how music works? Learn more about opportunities for current and prospective students here…

michael schutz

Dr. Schutz is the founding director of the MAPLE Lab – one of a handful of externally funded music cognition labs housed within a music department. Drawing on his multifaceted background in percussion, psychology and computer science he now leads an interdisciplinary team of trainees and serves as a core member of the McMaster Institute for Music and the Mind. Read more

The Music, Acoustics, Perception and LEarning Lab

Housed within the School of the Arts

Affiliated with the McMaster Institute for Music and the Mind (MIMM)

Welcome to the Music, Acoustics, Perception and LEarning Lab. We are a Music Cognition lab housed within the School of the Arts at McMaster University, and affiliated with the McMaster Institute for Music and the Mind. Our lab is dedicated to examining the psychological basis of the musical experience, with research projects exploring the role of visual information in music, musical timbre, the communication of affect in language and music, and general questions surrounding music perception and cognition.